A little after the Duel with Oogumo, the Kururugi family were being checked on Ayukawa in the infirmary. They have gone through electrical torture after all, so the school nurse had to make sure that they were still functioning. Everyone else was waiting outside while Tsukasa and the mysterious Kamen Rider decided to patrol the island for a bit and make sure that Oogumo didn't show up again.
"Ugh, to think that guy was a literal monster." Rika let out a shiver, "Glad he's not a mess of snakes."
Koji flinched at hearing that word. "Sistah, do not mention that."
"What, snakes? Got a fear of 'em?" Rex asked.
"Shut up," Koji hissed.
The rest chuckled, they needed that laugh after what happened earlier.
"Still, crazy to think that there are other worlds out there." The mutt mused, "And I don't mean planets, like legit, completely separate worlds from our own. Well, ours and the Duel Monsters' world I guess."
"Yes, the multiverse was once a theory, but now it has become something of a law with Oogumo's appearance and our mystery Kamen Rider." Misawa agreed.
"Who is he though? His looks are… older compared to the others." Sho wondered.
"Like, 70s old?" Judai guessed, "Like Exoman old?"
"Whoever he is, he saved Kuro and his family." Asuka sighed. "I'm just… happy they're alright…"
"Asuka!" A voice called out. The group turned to see the Tenjoin family rush up to them. The matriarch held her daughter's arms. "Is she here?! Is Kuromu's mother in there now?"
"Chiyomi, how many times do I have to tell you to calm down?" Akihiro sighed wearily.
"They're being checked on right now." Asuka answered.
"That's good to hear, especially with what we heard about her." Chiyomi said before shivering in fear, "The things that bastard did to her…"
"They're fine now, Okaa-san." Asuka assured her. "Ayukawa-sensei should be letting us see them soon-"
"Forget that, I'm going in there now." Chiyomi said, before walking towards the door.
"Okaa-san, hold up!" Fubuki called out, but it was no use as the doors already slid open.
"YUKINA-CHAAAAAN!" Chiyomi cried out, suddenly glomping a big hug on the Kururugi matriarch.
"C-Chiyomi-chan?!" Yukina said, surprised but winced, "Uh, Chiyomi-chan? I need to breathe."
"I'm so glad you're aliiiiive!" Chiyomi sobbed.
"Okaa-san…" Asuka sighed with a shake of her head, but gave a sad smile, as the two ladies hugged each other.
"Your mom's best friends with Yukina or something?" Rex asked the Obelisk Queen.
"Something like that." Asuka nodded.
"Come on now, Chiyomi, let go of her. She's still recovering." Akihiro said, pulling back his wife, who was a sobbing mess. "It's been a while Yukina-san."
"Aki-kun." Yukina recognized. "Yes, it has been."
"Um… can we come in now?" Rika asked, as she and Koji poked their heads into the room. Kyoshiro gave a thumbs-up before the students came in.
"Koji-kun, Rika-chan." Yukina noticed, before looking at the Obelisk Queen, "Ara, Asuka-chan."
"Hello, Mrs. Yukina." Asuka smiled softly, "How are you feeling?"
"In pain, but thankful to be alive." She admitted. Yukina then tilted her head with a hand to her cheek and a smile across her face, "Maa, you've grown into such a beautiful woman." Asuka blushed from the compliment while Koji and Rika felt happy.
"A lot of things have happened since you were gone." Kuromu said. "I've been helping Asuka with finding Fubuki, while she's been helping me look for you. We've confided in each other to support one another in both of those endeavors."
"Ara… could it be that…" Yukina said, before a slight mischievous cat-like grin appeared on her face, then covered her lips with a hand, "You two fulfilled that promise?"
"K-Kaa-san…" Kuromu blushed, scratching the back of his head, looking away in embarrassment.
"He's had a lot on his plate." Rex paraphrased, "Your safety was a bigger priority than keeping guys off his girlfriend."
*WAPISH!*
"Ow!"
"How many times do I have to tell you, it's not official?!" Kuromu cried out comically, after smacking Rex's head down.
Rex whispered, "Consider that payback for leaving me for dead by Rika's hands, buddy."
"Why you…" Kuromu snarled.
"Ara? Who are they? New friends?" Yukina blinked, noticing the others from the door and interrupting the glaring match between the two.
That's when Judai sprang towards the matriarch, opening the door as the rest rushed in to try and stop him. "Hi there, I'm Yuki Judai! The next Duel King! You're the one who made the Kamen Riders right? Your son and I had a lot of awesome Duels between them and my Elemental HEROes! It was epic!"
"Ara, ara, so energetic." Yukina giggled.
"And there he goes again…" Rex chuckled, "Rex Taylor by the way, I'm with Judai over there." He introduced himself.
Manjoume rolled his eyes, "…Manjoume Jun."
"And I'm Marufuji Sho!"
"I'm Marufuji Ryo, Sho's older brother, and Kuromu's senpai." The Cyber Dragon duelist bowed to her. "It's an honor to meet you, Yukina-san. Your son has been nothing but exemplary as both a student and a Duelist. For that, he has earned my respect."
"Senpai…" Kuromu muttered in shock.
"And I'm Misawa Daichi." He bowed. "It's an honor to meet the creator of the Kamen Riders."
"Oh nonsense, it's my husband that made the cards."
"But you technically are the one who brought the Riders to this world, so technically you made them." Judai understood.
"Well when you put it that way…" Yukina said, before the doors slid open again, to reveal another person. It was a man in his later years with short black hair that's curly. He wore a black leather jacket over a blue dress shirt and dark blue tie, black pants and brown shoes. He adjusted his black gloves as he looked towards the Duelists.
"I see you're feeling better." The older man said.
"Hongo-san." Yukina said, before bowing, "I'm sorry. I wish we'd met under different circumstances."
"Indeed, and I feel it is on myself and the others that our enemies even reached this world." He lamented.
"Kaa-san, who is this?" Kuromu asked curiously.
Yukina uttered a small noise of surprise, "Ara, gomen ne. I haven't introduced him properly. Everyone, I would like for you all to meet Hongo Takeshi. The very first Kamen Rider."
"EHH?!" The kids were surprised at the revelation.
"I feel like we just met the equivalent to Superman or something." Rex noted before briefly bowing, "It's an honor to meet you, sir."
"The honor is all mine, shounen-tachi, shoujo-tachi." Takeshi nodded, before turning to Kuromu, "And you must be Yukina's son."
"H-Hai, it's an honor to meet you, Hongo-san!" Kuromu stuttered, bowing to him. "I'd only known Yusuke-san and the others, but I never knew there were Riders before them."
He was floored to find out that there were Riders before the Heisei Riders.
'Wonder if that's true about the Riders after them?' Rex thought.
"Yes, well… all legends have to start somewhere." Takeshi chuckled in amusement, "That being said, there is much to discuss."
"Hai. I believe it's time I told the whole truth." Yukina nodded.
"Yukina, are you sure?" Kyoshiro asked, worriedly.
"It's okay, anata. I have you to support me." Yukina smiled, which made Kyoshiro blush.
"And I kept the flash drive safe." Kuromu said, holding it out.
"Good, you're all here." A familiar voice said, as they all turned to see Tsukasa standing at the doorway.
"Kadoya-sensei." Kuromu acknowledged.
"Tsukasa-kun." Yukina said. "I'm sorry things had to turn out this way."
"No, it's not your fault." Tsukasa shook his head, "Our enemies are a tricky bunch and a pain in the ass, so it's to be expected that things would go awry." He then turned to Takeshi, "So it's finally time, huh?"
"It is." Takeshi nodded, "Come along, children, there is something we should show you." He said.
They soon entered the lecture hall. Principal Samejima, Instructor Chronos and Daitokuji, had arrived with Tsukasa, who had already taken their seats. The students also then took their seats with Kyoshiro who was supporting Yukina, along with Hongo Takeshi, and Tsukasa making their way to the small stage.
"Minna-san, thank you all for coming." Yukina said. "First and foremost, Samejima-san, I want to personally thank you for helping my son during these difficult times while he was studying here. He has endured so much, and you and the other staff have kept him on the straight and narrow." She then slowly bowed deeply, "I'm eternally grateful."
"The pleasure is all mine, Kururugi-san. I am just grateful that you are out of harm's way." the principal reassured her.
"So am I." Yukina smiled softly, "Now then, I wish to properly introduce myself. I am Kururugi Yukina, my maiden name being Shiryuu. And I… am not from this world."
"Not from this world-nya?" Daitokuji asked.
"Tell me, are any of you familiar with the Multiverse theory?"
"Every choice we make potentially creates another world out of the decisions we never made, right?" Rex asked, "I remember hearing about that in school."
"You would be correct on that." Yukina nodded. "Where I'm from, is the Rider World. It is a world where heroes known as Kamen Riders exist."
"You speak of the Kamen Riders that are in Signore Kururugi's Deck." Instructor Chronos said.
"Yes, those Riders are from my world. I arrived in this world with the Kamen Riders that my son wields. However, the laws of this world changed them into Duel Spirits." Yukina explained. "I could not see them for a time, until I was reunited with Tsukasa-kun. Tsukasa-kun over there has the unique ability to travel between worlds, hence why he does not follow the laws of this world, to an extent."
"Which explains why Kadoya-sensei can switch between spirit and corporeal form-nya. Astounding-nya." Daitokuji realized.
"Where does that leave our enemies?" Ryo asked.
"Yes, we are about to get to that. I'll have Hongo-san explain the history of the Riders and our enemies." Yukina then gave the floor to the first Kamen Rider.
"Nearly 33 years relative to your time and 54 years in ours-"
"54?!" The teens gasped.
"Many of the Riders after Blade are actually from the future according to your world's timetable." Tsukasa revealed.
"That would explain the weird phones I see Sougo and Kouta occasionally use." Kuromu realized.
"Moving on." Takeshi cleared his throat. "The Kamen Riders' origins is something of a dark tale. It all began with a terrorist organization that goes by the name of S.H.O.C.K.E.R."
"S.H.O.C.K.E.R?" They parroted.
"Oogumo mentioned something about that." Kuromu muttered, recalling what the spider-masked man cried out before he escaped.
"It stands for Sacred Hegemony Of Cycle Kindred Evolutionary Realm." Takeshi explained. "This organization had virtually all of its members modified in some way. Their scientists perform surgical alterations that give their subjects superhuman fighting abilities. Even the most basic soldier is tougher, stronger and faster than the average human. They modify humans who were combined with animal DNA and human cybernetics to create living weapons."
"Why would they do that?" Asuka asked, horrified.
"The answer lies in its leader, who you've already met."
"Wait, you're saying Oogumo is the leader of S.H.O.C.K.E.R?!" Judai gawked, as did the others.
"He needed an alias to blend in with this world, so the name Oogumo fitted him well." Takeshi answered. "His real name, or rather human name was Chan Mao. He was once a Tibetan monk who was said to allegedly bring the dead back to life with mysterious, mystical techniques. However over time, he grew detached from human emotions and eventually found a way to transcend his earthly body into a completely different being. It is believed that what's left of his humanity is long dead."
"Wait, if you defeated him before, how the hell is he back?" Jun asked.
"He chose to bring himself back via my first foe, a man once known as Kumo-Ningen."
"Spider-Man?" Judai blinked.
"Not that spider, thankfully." Rex said, "I'd rather not think about another Wolf Spider out in the world."
"Regardless, unfortunately, he is not someone that can be truly destroyed, due to his spirit." Takeshi said.
"You can't kill him?" Sho gasped in shock.
The elder Rider shook his head, "No. Because of this, we Riders are eternally locked in this battle of good and evil."
"But there has to be a way somehow."
"Even if there was… one can't exist without the other."
"So he's a constant force now? As long as people are corrupt or have evil thoughts, he'll continue to exist?" Rex guessed.
"The Unstoppable Force vs. The Immovable Object…" Misawa muttered.
Takeshi nodded, "As I said, even if there was. One can't exist without the other. If by the slight chance that he does cease to exist. The world, or rather… the multitude of worlds would have no need of Kamen Riders or heroes in general."
"But… isn't that what you're really hoping for, all this time?" Kuromu asked, worriedly. "Fighting for the day that you don't have to fight anymore?"
"Yes, but who knows when it will come." Takeshi lamented. "But… we Riders haven't given up hope. Even if it will not come in our lifetime, that day will come."
"So, what's his endgame?"
"His ultimate goal is to turn the entire human race into monsters under his rule in order to unite the world as one being."
"I would assume that goal is based on his origins as a Tibetan monk." Misawa surmised.
"Perhaps, or maybe it was his innermost thoughts on humanity that caused him to become the monster he is today." Takeshi theorized. "S.H.O.C.K.E.R was ruthless and merciless, as they would often kidnap prominent scientists and force them to work for the organization, then kill them when their usefulness was at an end or if they attempted to escape. Yukina-san was no exception."
"It's sad for me to admit, but I used to be one of them."
"Kadoya-sensei?!" Kuromu gawked at the dimension Rider.
"Yeah, for my world, which sits outside the Rider World, I was part of its version of S.H.O.C.K.E.R called Dai-S.H.O.C.K.E.R." Tsukasa shook his head, "Both my sister and I were raised to be its leaders. Then I lost my memories one day, and the rest as they say is history."
"Wait, hold on. Going back to that, we still don't know the history of the Kamen Riders." Sho pointed out.
"Ah yes. Forgive me for being side-tracked." Takeshi apologized. "All of this links back to S.H.O.C.K.E.R. where I was forcefully made to be a weapon for their army, turning me into the first Kamen Rider. But I turned on them, and used their own weapon against them, and since then I've been fighting for justice and humanity."
"And you made sure each generation that succeeded you after, kept organizations like S.H.O.C.K.E.R in check from ruling the world." Ryo understood. "Hence why other Kamen Riders exist."
"Also forever ties the origins of all Riders to their enemies. Fighting evil through evil means." Tsukasa added.
"What does that mean?" Samejima asked.
"There's an ideological concept referring to the general idea that all Kamen Riders, in some shape or form, share some connection with their enemies." Takeshi stated. "This can range from sharing an origin in their powers, or an action that one makes that causes their foes' rise to power. Because we strayed from the path of evil to pursue a life of heroic justice, our sins are always symbolized by a burning cross. Thus resulting in enemies considering the Riders as flawed versions of themselves: The Cross of Fire. However, this world is not beholden to this ideological concept yet."
"How so?" Koji inquired.
"Because while we exist, there has not yet been born a Rider native to this world." Tsukasa noted, "The cross tends to form when a world gains a Rider."
"But… even if a Rider were to be born in this world, it wouldn't necessarily be evil… right?" Kuromu guessed.
"Perhaps. It all depends on who first takes the mantle." Takeshi noted, "We just hope that, when this world's Rider is born, if at all, they will be on our side."
"But… how does this tie to Kuro and his family?" Asuka asked.
"I am about to tell you." Yukina began. "By revealing to you the plans of S.H.O.C.K.E.R," She then held up the flash drive, "My son, and everyone. It is time you learned the truth." She said, before slowly inserting it into the port of a laptop connected to the screen. Upon completion, the contents of the flash drive, after Yukina unlocked the files with her credentials, were finally revealed. It showed blueprints of a large machine with various parts labeled out. "This… is their grand scheme."
"What is that?" Judai asked.
"These… are plans of an Interdimensional Transporter." Yukina said. "With this, S.H.O.C.K.E.R can transport hundreds upon thousands of their army into different worlds in an attempt to conquer the multiverse."
"DIOS MIO!" Instructor Chronos cried out.
"Yes… and unfortunately, this world… The World of Duel Monsters will be its first victim on its test run."
"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted in shock.
"S.H.O.C.K.E.R will stop at nothing to conquer the worlds of Riders from other universes in order to expand their reach across the multiverse." Takeshi sadly confirmed, "With the resources and powers they can provide, it's only a matter of time before they become all-powerful."
"So then, those files he has on those two weird zones, the Extra Monster Zone and Pendulum Zones…" Rex realized, "You're saying that they plan on using whatever Monster Cards those zones are connected to and conquer our world with them?!"
"Unless we stop them before they can find Duelists capable of handling advanced Summoning Techniques, perhaps." Tsukasa said, "Because technically in our world, Duel Monsters also exist. But, there's no magic behind any of these cards. They're just paper and holograms, so it's easier to develop new techniques on the fly."
"Wow, talk about advanced." Judai said.
"Luckily, we were able to prevent them from unlocking the secrets to getting Link Summoning and Pendulum Summoning into this world but… as you saw with Reggie, we were unable to stop them from bringing Synchro Summoning into way earlier than this time period should be able to handle. Since, if I remember what Woz told us, this world's version of Synchro Summoning shouldn't be active until at least the 2030s." Tsukasa said.
"And we're gonna be the guinea pigs for their experiment?! Oh hail to the no!" Koji vehemently denied.
"So then… Kaa-san found these plans, stole them, and then escaped here…" Kuromu said.
"Yes. And it is also how I met your father." Yukina nodded.
"At first, I didn't really believe your mother, but once I saw those plans… what could I do but believe?" Kyoshiro added.
"So that's why Oogumo went after you." The Rider Duelist finally understood.
"I'm sorry you had to go through so much until now, Kuromu." Yukina said sadly. "All those times you were hurt because of me…"
But then to her surprise, Kuromu suddenly rushed up to and hugged her. As much as this was a shock, he couldn't bring himself to hate her for what happened.
"Kaa-san… you shouldn't blame yourself for doing the right thing." Kuromu said, keeping his embrace on her. "I won't blame you for everything that's happened, because you did what you knew was right. Sure, I got beat up a lot for it, but… that didn't stop me from wanting to save you."
Just like that, Yukina felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. "Oh Kuromu, my sweet child…" She sobbed on his shoulder, "I'm so blessed to have a son like you…"
"Kaa-san…"
"Uh… not to be that guy," Jun said, getting their attention. "What do we do now? Shouldn't we be preparing for this invasion?"
"Yeah, how the heck are we going to prepare for stuff like this?" Rika asked.
"There is one way." Yukina answered. "But if it's going to work, I need to return home and finish it."
"Yukina, no." Kyoshiro denied. "We just got you back. Oogumo might capture you again."
"He's right, he's still out there and likely mad about losing you!" Asuka protested.
"I wish there was another way but…" she then tapped away to show six orbs, "During my research into this world and its similar history to my own, I came across a unique form of energy; one created from using advanced Summoning Techniques. I call it Duel Energy."
"Duel Energy?" Kuromu asked. "What exactly is that?"
"It's a faint, yet potentially unlimited power that allows Duelists to summon forth Monsters into the real world without the need of the ancient magic once used in Ancient Egypt." She explained, "I was able to solidify the current Summoning Techniques: Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, and Link into forms of energy that can be used by, dispersed from, and more importantly, infused into anyone. However, that was after simulating hundreds, if not millions of Duels just to create enough Duel Energy to complete the process; and even then, there is no Duel Disk in the world that can take that much Duel Energy without overloading."
"So it's extremely rare to come by." Misawa observed.
"That's why I must go back to the house and finish the project." Yukina said. "It will take some time, but I intend to finish one of them before the school year ends."
"Alright, that should be simple enough." Rex said, "Let's hope whatever you got cooking up at home's gonna keep our home safe, doc."
"I hope so too…"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Oogumo roared in anger, flipping various tables and smashing expendable lab equipment. He had just returned to his base, and to say he was pissed was an understatement. Everything was ruined. If it hadn't been for that Kamen Rider, no, if Hongo Takeshi hadn't interfered with his plans, all of this would've gone smoothly. His ambition for multiverse conquest would've gone without a hitch! And by now, everyone knows his plan.
"Boss, what's-?" Wally asked, noticing the wrathful state. "O~kay, I'll come back later." He said, turning around to go back where he came from.
"I will not be denied my dream! Not when I have it at my fingertips!" The cyclops monster swore as he looked towards his mask and shattered it in his hands, "I swear, Kururugi Kuromu, you have just made a powerful enemy."
Meanwhile Wally peeked in briefly before walking away. "Yeesh, sounds like someone pissed in his coffee…" He muttered.
"Wallace! Get in here now!" Oogumo roared, making the gang leader wince and turn back and approach him.
"Uhh, what's up boss?" Wally asked.
"Do you recall the day I broke you out of that wretched prison? When you promised that you would follow my orders in exchange for freedom?" The cyclops monster snarled, "Well, now is the time for you to earn your new power."
"Hold up, you mean-"
"Yes, if you want to share in Rabb and McKenzie's new power, then have you and your men retrieve the Kururugi family alive! As for her son or your former friend? Poison them, drown them, bash them on the head! I don't care how you kill those brats, just do it! It's time we achieve what we truly desire!"
Wally smirked, "Peace… through tyranny…"
As the group were nearing the dock, Kuromu was left conflicted. Just what was back home that his mother could use to stop Oogumo? Granted, his mother was making it, so he was assured that it would help in the long run, but… she runs the risk of being captured again. He had just reunited with her after so long, and now they have to separate again.
"Kaa-san… is there really no other way?" Kuromu asked.
"I'm sorry, but it's our last hope." Yukina affirmed as they reached the boat, "And don't worry, your father is coming with me. Aki-kun and Chiyomi-chan as well." She then turned to the dimension Rider. "Tsukasa-kun, please… look after my son, once more."
"I got the gist of it, and I promise they'll be safe." the dimensional Rider affirmed.
"Kaa-san…" Kuromu muttered, before he felt his mother's hand caress his face, making him look at her.
"I'll be alright, Kuromu. I promise to come back to you. And when this is all over, we can be a family again."
The Rider Duelist, despite his best efforts, let out a sigh of defeat, "Just be careful please. Tou-chan and I lost you once, we can't lose you again."
"That's why we're here." Akihiro said. "We'll make sure they get home safe."
"Fubuki, look after your sister," Chiyomi instructed.
"After what she and the others did to save me? I'll do my best to do the same and protect them." the elder Tenjoin declared.
"Be safe out there." Asuka said.
After exchanging heartfelt hugs, the Kururugi and Tenjoin parents boarded the boat and left the island to head for the mainland. Kuromu could only clench his fist, but Asuka held it to calm him down.
"They'll be fine." Asuka assured them. "We just have to have faith and hope."
"I know, I'm just scared of what will happen next…"
A few days later…
A group of motorboats were heading towards Academia Island, six in total. Each boat carried several people. They had received their orders from their boss and they had prepared plenty of things for their mission before setting out for the island.
"So? This is where our little lion escaped to?" a female voice mused as one of the motorists took off her helmet, revealing a young woman with long black hair and piercing yellow eyes. She quickly removed the wetsuit to reveal a long red and black jacket over a silver shirt, yellow gloves, and black and yellow running shoes.
"Yeah, he ain't escaping us this time!" another male voice laughed as two twins got off their motorboats. They wore the same mechanic jumpsuits but with one in red and blue while the other was in purple and baby blue.
"Yeesh, enough talk already! I'm getting bored!" the twin in red agreed, sharing a high five.
"Patience, we cannot lose ourselves in the violence just yet." a rather muscular young man wearing a purple and white t-shirt, cargo pants, and combat boots told off the twins while unloading the cargo.
"So what? We're just here for one guy anyways! What's the deal?" a rather lanky young man with a white mohawk and wore a blue shirt, white suspenders, and a pair of cleats mused.
The last motorboat soon arrived as Wally removed his helmet and let out a smirk, "Nick, I'm back…" he chuckled evilly.
The group met up at the Osiris Red dorm as per usual. It was the last day before classes resumed after all, now that the threat of PaniK was taken care of. So all the kids decided to meet up for one more group meeting before separating back into their usual dorm cliques.
"So, now we can add multiversal maniacs to the list of people breathing down our necks." Jun groaned, "And here I thought the worst thing we all would have to face was just getting expelled for being a crap Duelist."
"That doesn't mean shit anymore, given that bombshell of a reveal the other day." Rex said, "So, any idea on how we can well… win?" he asked Kuromu.
Kuromu remained silent.
"Kuro? Earth to Kuro?" Rex called out, snapping him out of it.
"Huh? What?"
"Dude, you doing alright there?" The mutt asked, "You're spacing out on us, bro."
"Sorry…" Kuromu said, before standing up to leave. "I need some fresh air."
With this, he went out of the Osiris Dorm to walk to the back of the dorm to sit on the cliff, looking at the horizon. It had been several days since his parents and Asuka's parents left the island, but there's been no word. They say no news is good news, but as the days went by, he became increasingly more anxious.
"Everything alright, shonen?" A voice said, as the boy turned to see the original Rider approach him.
"Hongo-san." Kuromu muttered as the older man sat next to him.
"It's natural for you to worry about your parents." Takeshi reassured him. "But they're strong and resilient. It will take more than an abduction and torture to break their spirits. Bonds between family and friends are especially strong against S.H.O.C.K.E.R. You have those with you now."
"Bonds…" Kuromu muttered.
"It reminds me of my boss and mentor, whom I've considered a father. Tachibana Tobee."
"He must have been a great guy to be around." the Rider Duelist assumed.
"Mm. He was." Takeshi nodded, before looking back out onto the horizon. "Back then, he was a great racer, one who had been in several racing tournaments."
"What happened to him?"
"An accident happened during one race. He lost his family that day." The elder Rider lowered his head in shame, "But in his grief, he chose to mentor me when I took an interest in motor racing."
"Really? Even after what happened to his family?" Kuromu asked, surprised.
"Indeed. I supposed that because I was around one of his lost children's age, he wanted to teach me like I was his son." he recalled as he placed his fist to his heart, "I owe a lot to him. When he died, I chose to watch over his granddaughter. She should be around your age back in my world."
"I'd like to meet her one day." Kuromu smiled softly.
Just then however, Kuromu noticed something placed on one of the trees. Curious, the Rider Duelist went to see what it was. It seemed like a note nailed to a tree.
"Doushita, shonen?" Takeshi asked, approaching him.
When Kuromu removed the note from the tree to read it, his eyes widened in shock and horror.
"Shit!" Kuromu panicked, before running back to the Osiris Red Dorm.
"Kuromu?" Asuka asked.
"Rex, get out of here now!"
"What a-"
Suddenly, a strange capsule was thrown into the room, letting out some kind of smoke as everyone was left coughing and struggling to breathe. Just then, someone ran in and quickly slapped a cloth full of chloroform onto Kuromu's mouth, knocking him out.
"Shonen!" Takeshi shouted.
"Oh no, you don't!" Rex coughed before briefly getting into a running stance. He quickly ran after the unknown kidnapper when he saw an arm lift up from one of the trees.
"SHI-!"
*BLAM!*
"Wow, look at you. Took that like a champ, my guy." a hazy voice laughed as Rex came face-to-face with the man with the mohawk.
"S-Scratch?" the mutt grumbled, his vision still blurry from taking a lariat at high speed.
When he came to, the mutt opened his eyes to get his bearings. Rex found himself on what looked to be a metal platform that was built precariously on one of the cliffs of the island, with his part being clearly rigged to fall into the oceanic abyss. The sound of the water churning below him rang in his ears.
"Wha? Where…?"
He then looked to his left and saw an unconscious Kuromu being watched over by the lone woman of the gang. His body being tied to a long wooden stake on the same cliff that Rex was hanging over.
Rex snapped to his senses, "Kuromu!"
"Long time no see, pal." The lone woman chuckled as she briefly walked up to him and smirked, "I'm sure you recognize your old friends".
"Yeah, remember us?" the blue twin added.
"Because we didn't forget you!" the red twin finished.
"Leone? Rudd? Fred? Brent?" the mutt gasped, "But-"
"Rex, help!" Rex then heard Sho cry out before he noticed the rest of their friends were stuck in a large shark cage, all tied up as well. Rex noticed that the cage they were in was near a part of the platform where multiple pulleys were. Rex immediately recognized said pulleys as the same ones that caused his former co-workers to plummet to their deaths.
The mutt got up, only to feel something on his leg restricting him from leaving the platform, it was some kind of ancient set of chains.
"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."
Rex suddenly felt his whole body freeze, his blood running cold. Judai quickly saw his friend tense up while the rest of the thieves smirked.
"Hehe, the boss is here." the burly man sighed while the rest of the group watching over the cage were ready to watch what was coming up next.
Kuromu slowly opened his eyes as he came to. "W-Wha… what…?" He said, before noticing the platform Rex was on. He then looked and noticed his friends in the shark cage. His senses immediately went haywire, being fully conscious and awake. "Asuka! Everyone!"
*WHAM!*
"Ergh!" Kuromu was hit in the gut by the female thief.
"Quiet you." Leone snapped.
"Kuro!" Asuka gasped.
"Leave my friends alone!" Rex snarled.
"Rex, you okay?!" Judai asked.
"Rex? That's what you're calling yourself these days?" The voice laughed, "What a stupid nickname!"
Slowly, the mutt turned his head to the source of the voice and saw someone he was scared of seeing again. Standing before him, on another metal platform on the other side, rigged to fall at any moment, was his former friend and brother-in-arms, as well as the leader of the thugs currently holding Kuromu and the others hostage.
"Wally?" Rex muttered in horror before noticing the same chain around his leg.
"No running from me now." the gang leader laughed.
"Wait, that's Wally?" Judai gasped in shock. Koji and the others were confused however by this newcomer's arrival.
"Dammit…" Kuromu muttered.
"We meet again, Cheeda." The leader of the Wild Ones chuckled, "Did you miss me?"
"Honestly, I wish you died in that fire." Rex snarled as he tensed up.
"Well too bad! I'm alive!" Wally laughed.
"Hold on, this kid knows hound dog?" Koji asked, "And what's this about a fire?"
"Why is Rex acting tense?" Rika added.
"Oh, you never told them." Wally chuckled as he observed their confused looks, "Figured as much you'd try to bury what you did to ALL of us."
"Shut up!" Rex snapped. "I'm not the same person I was before!"
"Bull fucking SHIT you are!" Wally snarled, "Tell them then! Tell them who you REALLY are! Tell them WHY you were called the Wild One's Yellow Comet!"
Koji quickly picked up on that name.
"Hold the 8-trak… did he just say… Yellow Comet?" He gasped, "As in the fastest thief in New York?"
"Bet he didn't tell you that he and I STARTED that gang." Wally revealed, relishing in the looks Rex was getting from Rika, Asuka, Misawa, Fubuki, Jun, Ryo, and Koji.
"Egads. We… we had a criminal in our midst?!" Misawa gasped.
"No! That's-" Rex panicked.
"Hey, things have changed since then!" Judai spoke up, as he and Sho knew the truth of the matter, "What happened between you and Rex didn't give you the right to kill those people!"
"Kill?! Hold up! So you're telling me that Rex, the same Rex that's chained to that maniac, was connected to the Maximus Murders?" Rika gasped.
"That was HIS mistake to run from his past!" Wally snarled. "He is a TRAITOR!" He roared before the other Wild Ones chimed in.
"A crook!" the man with the mohawk called out.
"A no-good yellow belly!" the twins chimed in.
"A self-centered coward!" the lone female of the group laughed.
Koji looked to the currently scared Rex while the Wild Ones cursed his name, "Rex? What the heck is going on here?"
"I… I…"
"Tell them, Nick! Tell them how you ABANDONED all of us! Tell them how you BETRAYED our trust in you!" The leader of the Wild Ones shouted in anger, "The only thing this yellow bellied coward cares about is saving his own SKIN!"
"That's not true!" Rex shouted.
"It doesn't matter WHAT the truth is! The fact of the matter is, you RAN AWAY from your brothers and sisters! The ones that looked UP to you!"
Throughout all this Koji, Rika, Asuka, Misawa, Jun, and Ryo were processing what they were hearing. All of a sudden, all of the mutt's tricks from his free running and his knowledge of less than savory plans made sense.
"To think he was hiding this from us…" Asuka muttered in shock.
"So what now? You're gonna backstab them like you did to us?! HUH?!" Wally questioned him, "Answer me when I'm talking to you!"
However it was clear that Rex was too frozen by guilt and fear to even move.
"Heh, figures! Once a coward, ALWAYS a coward!" He chuckled, "But, I'm feeling kind of generous. You see, I just got a sweet deal recently. You want to prove you're not a traitor? Then how about you join us and our new compatriots. If not…" he then scoffed, "Well-"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
They all turned to see that… Judai cursed?!
"Wha?! Judai, when did you learn that?" Kuromu gasped.
"Aniki~" Sho whimpered.
"YOU DO NOT MANIPULATE MY FRIENDS LIKE THAT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO THE HELL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" The Elemental HERO Duelist roared in anger, "IF YOU THINK I'M GONNA SIT BACK AND WATCH YOU AND YOUR CRONIES INSULT MY FRIEND AND FORCE THEM TO THINK HE WAS ANYTHING WORSE, THEN YOU GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!" At that declaration, a brief flicker emerged in his eyes.
"J-Judai…" Rex said, stunned.
"Rex, I've seen you and your monsters have grown! You've risked your life and body to protect all of us! You are the first to step up whenever Sho gets picked on by those Obelisks! You're always up for helping Misawa get his stuff to the teachers on time!" Judai pointed out.
"I…"
"You're not the same person you were!" the Elemental HERO Duelist affirmed, "You're not Cheeda Nick, the Yellow Comet! You're Rex, proud member of Osiris Red!"
"Spare me the-"
"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!" Judai shouted before turning towards the others, "Come on, you guys still believe in him, right?"
The others began to think about what the mutt had done with them, the memories they made with him and the things he did for them.
"He may have a sailor's mouth, but his heart's in the right place." Asuka said.
"I always have to keep him from the kitchen, but I can't deny he knows when to step up." Rika added.
"There's a reason we call him the Gladial Loudmouth. Talks a big game, but that volume ain't just for show." Koji chuckled. "He actually backs up what he says."
"I will admit, I did not expect him to have such a checkered past." Misawa said, "But there's no denying the lengths I've seen him go for the ones he cares about."
"Yeah well… he and I may have differences, but…" Jun trailed off before giving a smile. "I guess he's alright…"
"You were kind of scary when Aniki and I met you. But after going through thick and thin with you, I can't help but believe in you." Sho said.
"If he didn't step in when he did, Oogumo likely would have had my number." Kuromu admitted.
"Guys…" the mutt began to tear up.
Ryo was silent, worrying everyone for a bit before he spoke up, "Tell me, do you plan to bear your sins despite the road ahead?"
Rex was scared at first, but nodded as the Kaiser smiled, "Then that's enough for me."
Judai smiled and gave thumbs up, "You see? Whether you're the Yellow Comet or the Gladial Loudmouth, you're our friend first and foremost. You're alright with us."
The mutt couldn't help but smile and try to wipe the tears from his eyes.
"Gee… way to put a guy on the spot." Rex said with a nervous chuckle.
"Wow, the Power of Friendship. Big whoop…" Wally rolled his eyes. "Spare me the fucking pity party already."
With his confidence renewed, Rex stared down Wally.
"Alright Wally. You wanted me? Well here I am." He declared, "I'm guessing that you're a Seven Star, aren't you?"
"As you can tell from the chains." the gang leader noted.
"If that's the case, then let's Duel. You and me. 8000 Life Points, winner gets the loser's deck." the mutt challenged him.
"You do realize that this might be a Game of Darkness, right? There's a good chance you won't just be walking out with my deck, but also you would need to kill me." Wally pointed out. "But then again, the man you knew died when you abandoned me."
"I don't think so. If that were the case, why are you still running the Wild Ones?" The mutt said with a wild grin.
"That's none of your business, since you decided to bail out on us!"
"And yet you still want me to work for you way back when. If you really wanted me dead, you could have just killed me rather than captured me." Rex added.
"I wanted you to suffer! Suffer for all those years of rotting in prison, being left with nothing! I wanted you to feel the same pain I felt!"
"I know, but I felt that same pain being forced to live in fear running away from who I was. Well, I'm done running." The mutt stated, "If I can at least save your soul, even if I lose, then at least I'll be dying without any regrets."
"REX NO!" Sho shouted.
"No one asked to go out with a bang, dammit!" Jun snapped.
"That's our motto Jun. We follow where the wind takes us! Because no matter what, the winds will always bring us home!"
Wally laughed at the mutt's declaration, "Really? You think you can save me?! What makes you think you can save me this second time around?!"
"They say that a Duel can bring out a person's true feelings, and something tells me that the old you is still hidden deep within." Rex declared as he shuffled his deck.
"I told you before Nick! This is me now!" the gang leader laughed with a false bluster, "This ain't like back then; and I'm going to make sure that I'm gonna end this the right way: sending you and your friends to HELL!"
"You sure you wanna tempt fate, dude? One of the guys you're trying to drown isn't a Spirit Key Holder." the mutt asked, "Think about it. I got one of the Spirit Keys your boss wants, while Sho doesn't. I'm pretty sure that PaniK got punished for trying to hurt civvies!"
Koji growled, "Hound dog, this ain't the time to be poking the bear!"
"Alright, fine! I accept your challenge! But I'm bringing back an old rule." He then gave the nod to the twins as they quickly brought out Asuka, Fubuki, Ryo, Jun, Misawa, Koji, Rika, and Sho… before hooking them onto the pulleys, lifting them up one-by-one.
Judai and Kuromu immediately recognized what the Wild Ones were doing the moment Asuka was being lifted up. The Elemental HERO Duelist was horrified, while the Rider Duelist was furious.
"BASTARD!" Kuromu shouted. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
"Oh, afraid your girlfriend will be swimming with the fishes?" Wally laughed, "Guess I struck a nerve."
"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I'M GONNA-" Kuromu stopped mid-rant when he felt something pulse within him. 'Wha? What was that?'
"You ain't doin' SHIT!" Wally smirked. "You should be lucky that you're not hanging with your girlfriend because the boss has plans for you."
"You're working for Oogumo?!"
"Who said I was?" The gang leader lied, "For all you know, it could also be the same one that employed PaniK. Or maybe some schoolyard bully who paid us off."
"Grrrrrrrrrrrr…!" Kuromu growled.
"LEAVE THEM ALONE, YOU MANIAC!" Judai roared, once more his eyes flashing.
"Oh trust me, I'll be saving you for last, you superhero punk." Wally said.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Everyone looked confused, before they looked towards another part of the cliff and saw Takeshi standing there.
"Hongo-san!" the group cheered.
"The hell are you supposed to be, old man? Get outta here! This is none of yer business!"
"Do not worry, Taylor-shounen! We won't let them fall to the ocean!" the elder Rider declared, before revealing his belt. He then stretched his right arm out to the opposite side of his body in a slant as a brief shriek noise was heard. He then moved his arm in a slow arc, as another noise was heard, before motioning his left arm to slant to the opposite end while pulling back his right.
"RAIDA~ HENSHIN!"
Suddenly, the center belt's cover opened up, revealing a turbine that began to spin rapidly in order to suck in the ocean winds.
"TOH!"
Once he leaped up, the belt quickly manifested Ichigo's armor before he landed.
"The hell? Who's the grasshopper freak?!" Scratch snapped.
"Who cares? Hey boss, can we use those?!" Fred asked.
"Yeah, those!" Rudd affirmed.
"Fine, anything to make sure this goes uninterrupted." Wally said.
With that, the twins and Scratch, along with Brent and Leone took out what appeared to be… flash drives?
DESPIAN!
AZAMINA!
MEKK-KNIGHT!
WORM!
K'SHATRI-LA!
Shotaro gasped, "The heck?!"
"Impossible! Gaia Memories?!" Philip gasped.
Scratch stuck his GaiaMemory onto a port on his forehead, transforming him into a green spindly jester-like monster with a crooked face. The twins were next as they transformed into a large blue slimy worm-like monster and a red crooked-armored warrior with a large axe respectively. Brent stuck his in his shoulder and became a large ogre-like monster with pink skin and silver armor and an axe for one hand, and finally Leone placed one on her waist, transforming her into a plant-like monster with thousands of tendrils that sported fruit-shaped eyes.
"What are they?" Rika asked, scared.
"Dopants… Duel Monster Dopants from the looks of it." Shotaro guessed. "Kuso, we can't do anything while in our spirit forms!"
The five Duel Monster Dopants then surrounded the grasshopper Rider, each one showcasing their power.
"Oi, you're forgetting me, remember?" A voice said. "Henshin."
KAMEN RIDE! DECADE!
Decade arrived and quickly landed a powerful kick on the Worm Dopant, stunning it.
"Matte, matte, matte!" Another voice said, as Ryotaro-Red showed up, running towards them. "Don't start the party without me!" He then wrapped the Den-O Belt around his waist and pressed the red button. "Henshin!"
SWORD FORM!
"O-re sanjou!" Den-O declared quickly after the armor attached to him, putting his DenGasher together as fast as possible. "Ikuze, ikuze, ikuze!"
"Slow down, Momotaros, you're getting reckless!" Ryotaro complained.
"Screw that! We ain't gonna let them get away with reviving the shit Auram, Diabelle, Visas, and Albaz worked so hard to get rid of!" the train Rider snarled. "From start to finish, I'm going at a climax!"
"Why you!" The Mekk-Knight Dopant snarled as he clashed weapons with the train Rider.
"Oya oya. I see I might as well make sure My Overlord can Duel to his heart's content." a third voice agreed as Woz arrived.
"Guys!" Rex cheered.
"I'll show you, you bug freak!" the K'Shatri-La Dopant shouted, charging at Ichigo with his axe hand at the ready.
Meanwhile, Woz took out a black driver with bright green accents, a mirror displaying a white featureless helmet, and a lever for a Ridewatch to go in. The chronicler soon placed it around his waist.
BEYONDRIVER!
Woz then took out a peculiar Ridewatch, one that had two doors along with a futuristic Rider on the front. Once he pressed the button, the watch created a holographic display as it spurred to life.
WOZ!
Afterwards, the chronicler placed the device into the driver, before pressing the button again to open the doors and reveal a version of the mirror image that had this mysterious Rider's helmet on the front.
ACTION!
As a techno-beat began to ring out, Woz slowly raised his arms into the air in clockwork motions while a green holographic smartwatch appeared, the screen displaying some digital code along with firing out several lasers around the Rider as a protective barrier.
"Henshin…"
He then flipped the lever, placing the open Ridewatch directly at the mirror's side before pointing his arm forward. The belt then scanned the image on the watch and copied it.
TOEI! FUTURE TIME!
The smartwatch then fired out the katakana for Rider as several green and blue wireframe rings created the Rider suit, itself consisting of a silver bodysuit that had blue accents on the sides and elements of black on the sides, a chest plate that had a black and lime green watch strap on the front, two shoulder pads that displayed a strange app icon version of Zi-O's symbol, black gloves and boots that had blue pads, and light green highlights, two lime green Watch Holders holding blank versions of the same futuristic Ridewatches, black, and a helmet that had the same 10 o'clock/2 o'clock style as Zi-O on a front portion of the helmet while the 'screen' displayed the katakana in a wavy pattern.
SUGOI! JIDAI! MIRAI! KAMEN RIDER WOZ! WO~Z!
"What the?! Woz is a Kamen Rider too?!" Judai gasped, "That's so cool!"
"You think everything that transforms is cool." Jun deadpanned.
His change complete, Woz quickly took out a large black spear with neon green at the tip and a strange touchpad that connected the spear head with the base and smiled.
ZIKAN DESPEAR!
"Saa… shall we start?" Woz asked, as he charged at the Azamina and Despain Dopants.
The Azamina Dopant clicked her tongue before firing out her tendrils at him, only for the green clock Rider to quickly parry back each incoming stab at him. When the Despian Dopant tried to move in and fire a bunch of knives at him, Woz immediately parried them back.
"Grrrrrrr…! What the hell are you idiots doing?!" Wally roared.
"Hey buddy! You're Dueling me remember?" Rex called out, snapping the gang leader's attention back to him.
Wally clicked his tongue, "Alright then, let's see how strong you've gotten!" He declared as he took out a purple Duel Disk with three blades on it and stuck his shuffled deck into it.
As they drew their starting hands, the ocean waves began to crash below them.
"DUEL!"
Rex: 8000
Wally: 8000
"Alright, I'll go first! Draw!" Rex drew his sixth card. "Just like last time, I'll activate Unexpected Guy!" Rex declared, "So come on out, Gladial Beast Andal!" The bear gladiator soon emerged as he let out a mighty roar, (4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1500)
"I see we are facing him again, general." Andal snarled.
"But this time, it's gonna be different." Rex said. "Now, I summon Gladial Beast Sanmite!" The mutt declared. Next, the sabretooth gladiator emerged with a smirk (3/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200).
"Now, I shuffle them right back into the deck for a Contact Fusion!"
The two beasts quickly leaped into the air as they became red and blue balls of light that merged.
"Ride into battle and crush everyone underfoot!"
From the portal came the yellow chariot-riding gorilla gladiator as he stopped his vehicle and beat his chest with his free hand.
"Contact Fusion! Gladial Beast Essedari (5/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1400)!"
"Nice, a Turn 1 Contact Fusion!" Sho cheered.
"But Essedari lacks the tag-in mechanic the other Gladial Beasts have, so he's making a big gamble." Misawa observed.
"So you actually did improve." Wally scoffed. "But that ain't gonna do shit for ya!"
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn." The mutt said, "Your move."
"Alright then, time I get serious from the start! Draw!" The gang leader declared before drawing his sixth card, "I activate Dual Summon! This lets me summon twice this turn! So I summon The Six Warmen - Nisashi and The Six Warmen - Zanji!"
Soon, a green-clad futuristic samurai with two green laser blades (4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 700) and a yellow-clad samurai with a futuristic naginata with a yellow blade (4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1300)
"And now get ready to witness a summoning like any other! I Overlay both The Six Warmen - Nisashi and The Six Warmen - Zanji!" He declared as a black and yellow vortex emerged above the field.
"Overlay?!" Everyone shouted in surprise.
"Wally, you…" Rex growled.
"With these two Level 4 warriors, I build the Overlay Network!" The gang leader declared before he placed both Six Warmen cards over each other, signaling the two ronin became motes of light that quickly flew into the vortex.
"Legendary swords of the warring states, unleash your hidden blade against your foes to ensure your reign!"
He then took out from his Extra Deck a menacing black bordered card and slapped it over the two overlaid cards. Wally, like Reggie before him, became the first of this world to call out…
"XYZ SUMMON!"
Suddenly, from the vortex, a new samurai with long red hair tied up in a ponytail arrived with two stars orbiting around him, clad in red and silver armor with a sleeveless long vest over it, a red and silver facemask, black hakama, and a silver pendant.
Wally called out, "Reveal thy blade! Rank 4, Shadow of the Six Warmen - Shien!" (4/ATK: 2500/DEF: 400/OU: 2)
"Xyz…" Judai muttered.
"Summon?" Kuromu gasped.
"Another future Summoning Technique!" Misawa gasped.
"Hehe. Impressed? This is pretty much your Contact Fusion on crack." Wally laughed.
"Just like how Synchro Summoning works like Ritual Summoning…" Asuka realized.
"Now I play the Equip Spell Pitch-Black Legendary Steed to boost Shien's power!" The gang leader declared before a horse clad in black horse armor arrived from the shadows for Shien to ride upon.
Shadow of the Six Warmen - Shien (ATK: 2500-2700/DEF: 400-600)
"Now let's battle! Shadow of the Six Warmen - Shien, attack Gladial Beast Essedari! Dark Shadow Rampage!"
"Not so fast, buddy boy! I activate my Trap! Defensive Tactics! As long as I got a face-up Gladial Beast on my side of the field, none of my monsters can be destroyed by battle and any battle damage I take becomes nothing!" Rex declared, "Hoplomus! Move in!"
"Yes, general!" the rhino gladiator declared before crossing his arms and creating a barrier around himself and Essedari, just in time to tank the incoming slash from Shien.
"Filthy beast!" Shien snarled before returning to his similarly ticked-off controller's side of the field, prompting the rhino gladiator to leave the field.
"Whew, that was a close one." the mutt sighed in relief, "Now after this card's effect is resolved, I'll place Defensive Tactics at the bottom of my deck."
Wally clicked his tongue, "I'll set a card face down and end my turn then."
"Wow, first turns and they're both down to one card each." Sho observed.
"The mad man placed both of their decks on the line. They need to go all out or else risk losing them." Jun pointed out.
"Alright, let's keep this momentum up! Draw!" Rex called out as he drew his second card, wincing at what little choices he had at the moment.
'Just got Slave Tiger and one of my new cards from Pegasus. Well, at least this should be useful.' The mutt thought, "I play the Field Spell, Arena of the Gladial Beast - Flavius!" Once more, the golden colosseum from the mutt's dream began to materialize in real life around the pair, which also changed up the battlefield between the Riders and the Dopants. It didn't affect the pulleys however.
"Heh, you do realize this ain't the States anymore right? That having two Field Spells active at once isn't allowed in the JP ruleset." the gang leader reminded him.
"That doesn't mean I won't take advantage of my field while I have it active. Now, since I have a face-up Gladial Beast, I special Summon Slave Tiger from my hand!" the mutt declared as he slapped the card down. A large Bengal Tiger clad in a set of orange and blue armor, and four cloth front and back leg guards appeared and let out a roar at the steed, making the ebony horse a bit uneasy (3/ATK: 600/DEF: 300)
"Heh, what's this one going to do? Meow at me?" Shien laughed.
"Heh, funny having one of your samurai laugh at me, since I still got a plan." the mutt laughed, "I activate Slave Tiger's second effect! By tributing it, I can send one Gladial Beast Monster I control back to the Deck and tag in another from my Deck. The best part, Slave Tiger's effect counts as activating a Gladial Beast's battle effect!"
"Time to make a swap!" the gorilla gladiator declared as he and the tiger quickly vanished into nodes of light back into the mutt's Extra Deck and Graveyard respectively.
"Now, I Special Summon Gladial Beast Hoplomus from my Deck in DEF Position!" the mutt declared as the rhino gladiator appeared in Esedarii's place (4/ATK: 700/DEF: 2100).
"You know what's better? That allows me to activate my other face-down! Gladial Rejection!" Rex added, "So now, you can only hit my gladiators with card effects in the Battle Phase only! What's more, since I was able to Special Summon a monster from the Main Deck, I can special summon another Gladial Beast in DEF position that's a different type than the ones I currently control!"
"The hell?!"
"So come forth, Gladial Beast Lanista!" The mutt called out as another of his avian Gladial Beasts arrived at the battlefield (4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200) "Hoplomus's effect now activates! Since he was tagged in by Slave Tiger's faux tag-in, his DEF becomes 2400!"
Gladial Beast Hoplomus: (DEF: 2100-2400)
"My turn ends now, and with it, Flavius' second effect activates! If a Gladial Beast was Special Summoned from the Deck, I can Set one Gladial Trap Card from my deck onto the field." Rex said before a card emerged on the field facedown, "So I'm setting Gladial War Chariot for safe keeping."
"So you really can't do anything can you? A fluke as always." Wally scoffed.
"Hey, I locked down any spells you could use against my army and I have a negate against your samurai's effects." The mutt pointed out, "I'm doing just fine."
"Well that can change." The gang leader scoffed, "My turn! I draw!" Upon drawing his next card, Wally smirked, "I summon The Six Warmen - Yariza!"
The naginata-wielding samurai soon emerged with a smirk (3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 500)
"Then I activate Shadow of the Six Warmen - Shien's effect! You're probably wondering why those two balls of light are floating around my samurai." Wally said.
"Enlighten me…" Rex frowned.
"Those balls of light are the two monsters used to summon him, having turned into what are called Overlay Units. An Xyz Monster can only use his effect as long as he has enough Overlay Units to use it." Wally explained, "In this case, by detaching 1 Overlay Unit from Shien, I can target one Six Warmen monster I control with less than 2000 ATK points and boost it to 2000 until the end of my turn! So I choose to power up The Six Warmen - Yariza!"
Rex knew what this meant, Wally was planning on having Yariza attack him directly via it's effect. It was a good thing he prepared for this.
"Oh, no! I'm not dancing this dance again! I'll activate the Gladial War Chariot I just set!" The mutt declared.
"Too bad for you, you just triggered Pitch-Black Legendary Steed's effect! If the monster this card is equipped with is to be destroyed, I can destroy this card instead!" Wally declared as the horse took the blow the incoming chariot meant for its rider, allowing Shien to safely land and send one of the orbs into Yariza, empowering him.
Shadow of the Six Warmen - Shien (ATK: 2700-2500/OU: 2-1)
Six Warmen - Yariza (ATK: 1000-2000)
"Battle! Since I control a Six Warmen monster with a different name, I can have Yariza attack you directly! Earthen Spear!"
"Yes, my lord!" Yariza affirmed before leaping over both of Rex's monsters and slashing him on the chest, sending sparks into its controller in the process.
Rex: 6000
Wally: 8000
"Gahhhhhh!"
"Rex!" Kuromu and Judai shouted.
"Heh… first blood… and since you lost Life Points…" Wally chuckled. "Hey Leone, make that blondie and ponytail swim with the sharks!"
"NO! I WON'T LET YOU!" Kuromu yelled, as he now desperately struggled to break free. "ASUKA! RIKA!"
"Woz! You're up!" Rex called out in spite of the pain.
The green clock Rider, after blocking and parrying the Azamina Dopant's incoming swing, nodded before quickly taking out a purple MiRidewatch, activating it afterwards.
SHINOBI!
He then flipped the lever, switching the MiRidewatches directly at the mirror's side before pointing his arm forward. The belt then scanned the image on the watch and copied it.
ACTION! TOEI!
After slamming the watch into the side, the three watch straps changed their colors from green to purple as the katakana for Shinobi attached itself to his helmet while his armor changed up.
FUTURE TIME! DA-RE JA? O-RE JA! NINJA! FU~TURING SHINOBI! SHINOBI!
His armor now sported a front watch strap that resembled ninja wrappings along with a shuriken on the front, a new long purple scarf, two new shuriken-shaped shoulder pads, and the watch hands on his helmet now were shark as a shuriken with purple on the front.
"What the?! Who the heck is Shinobi?" Judai asked.
"Don't worry about that!" The green clock ninja said before quickly initiating a finisher via pushing the watch out of the Driver and then right back in.
FINISH TIME!
NINPO: JIKAN SHIBARI NO JUTSU!
As Leone cut the ropes that hung Asuka and Rika, eventually the girls started falling. Woz then created two clones which quickly caught Asuka and Rika before bringing them back onto the stands of the colosseum and cutting them free. Afterwards the multiple ninjas ran around the Azamina and Despain Dopants and began slashing them from multiple angles before they all merged back into one as his weapon glowed with all the energy that he gathered.
ICHIGEKI COME ON!
Leone and Scratch fell to the ground, injured but alive as their Gaia Memories popped out and popped like light bulbs.
"Nice one!" Rex cheered before looking towards Wally.
"Che…" the gang leader clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Rika, are you okay?" Asuka asked.
"So high… too high…" Rika muttered in horror, clinging onto the Obelisk Queen and shivering in fear.
"Well you're not getting out of this unscathed! Go, Shien! Attack Gladial Beast Lanista with Warlord's Ambition!"
Shien quickly took out his sword and cut down the avian gladiator.
"My turn ends here." The gang leader sighed.
"Alright then, my turn now! Draw!" Rex looked at what he drew. "I play Treasure Cards from the Heavens! Both of us draw until we have six!" This refreshed his and Wally's hands before Rex made his next move. "Now, I summon Gladial Beast Bestrouli!" Rex declared next as one of the Gladial quartet arrived. (4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 800)
"I'm gonna enjoy getting back at you!" The crowned amazon gladiator laughed.
"Tsk, your monsters have quite the mouth on them." Wally groaned.
"Next up, I shuffle Bestrouli and Hoplomus back for a Contact Fusion!" Rex declared as the two beasts leaped into the air.
"Time to spread the wings of freedom and claim victory!"
Afterwards, Bestrouli landed on the ground in his evolved form.
"Contact Fusion! Take flight, Gladial Beast Gyzarus (6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1500)!"
"Sweet! Rex's ace is here!" The Elemental HERO Duelist cheered.
"Gyzarus' effect activates! Since it was Special Summoned without Fusion, I can destroy up to two cards on your side of the field! Which means your monsters are going bye-bye!" Rex laughed, "Clear the field! Aves Arrow!"
"Smile, you honorless bastards!" Gyzarus screeched before firing his arrows right at Shien and Yariza, destroying them.
"Battle Gladial Beast Gyzarus attacks you directly!" The mutt declared before the evolved avian gladiator flew in and slammed the gang leader into the dirt.
However this had the adverse effect of shocking Rex due to the chains.
Rex: 6000
Wally: 5600
"Boss, you okay?" Gyzarus asked, worried about what just happened.
"I'm good. Don't worry about me." The mutt reassured him while he shook off the damage. "Now, since Gyzarus fought, I shuffle him back into the Extra Deck to Special Summon two Gladial Beast monsters from my Deck excluding Gladial Beast Bestrouli!" He then drew two cards from his Deck, "Which is why I'm choosing Gladial Beast Agustol and Gladial Beast Diecarii!"
The two Gladial Beasts emerged as the buffalo gladiator let out a defiant snort (4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200) and a powerful cry (8/ATK: 2600/DEF: 1000) respectively.
"But I'm not done yet! Since I Special Summoned a Gladial Beast from the deck, Gladial Rejection's effect activates! So Gladial Beast Retiari is joining them."
The crocodile gladiator let out a loud roar before grinning at the gang leader. (4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 800)
"Now, Agustol's effect activates, allowing me to Special Summon one Gladial Beast from my hand in DEF position!" Rex declared, "So come on out, Gladial Beast Darius!"
The horse gladiator quickly arrived, joining the three beasts (4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 300)
"Darius' effect activates! Since it was Special Summoned via tag-in, I can bring back one Gladial Beast from the Graveyard but have it's effects negated! Revive, Lanista!"
"The battle is not over yet!" Darius called out before Lanista returned.
"Good golly, miss Molly! He's got a full field of Gladial Beasts!" Koji called out.
"Which means he's got plenty of choices for Contact Fusions!" Sho cheered.
"Now, let's go for this! I shuffle Agustol, Darius, and Lanista to perform a Contact Fusion!" Rex declared as the three beasts transformed into notes of light that quickly became sets of blue armor with red accents on the side and two large thrusters.
"Gather under the name of the emperor and offer your power!"
The resulting fusion then ran out of the arena doors and armored up; the gladiator in question being a large green blind lizard holding a blue shield and a glowing black and purple sword.
"Contact Fusion! Gladial Beast Andabatae (8/ATK: 1000/DEF: 2800)!"
"Now I activate Andabatae's effect! Since he was Special Summoned without Fusion, I can bring out a Level 7 or lower Gladial Beast from my Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning Conditions! So Essedari, return to the battlefield!" Rex added.
The gorilla gladiator then returned to the field, raring to go (5/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1400)
"I end my turn." Rex said, "I think I've shown that I'm a lot better than before…"
"Tsk, I'll give you that. You managed to create a pretty good board for yourself. But don't think you've won just yet." The gang leader snarled, "Draw!" It was then he smirked as he played his drawn card, "I play Lightning Storm! Since I have no face-up cards on my field, I can choose to wipe the field with either your monsters or your spells! So I'm choosing the latter!"
"Crap!" Rex cried out as a freak lightning storm zapped him, causing both his field spell and Gladial Rejection. It also caused the area to return to the platform on the island.
"Now that I can target your Monsters with effects, I play the Spell card Thunder Bolt to destroy all your monsters!" The gang leader laughed before another bolt of lightning destroyed all of Rex's monsters as well. Soon, the whole field was completely empty of any monsters or spells and traps.
"Oh no!" Sho panicked.
"Egads, he has nothing to defend against." Misawa gritted teeth.
"Think you're invincible now?" Wally laughed, only to be met with stunned silence from the mutt, "Alright, while you're distracted, it's time for me to show off!" He laughed, "I summon Legendary Six Warmen - Kageki!"
The legendary samurai emerged on Wally's side of the field, looking smugly at the mutt (3/ATK: 200/DEF: 2000)
"Now his effect activates! Since he was Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon another Level 4 or lower Six Warmen card from my hand! So I choose Legendary Six Warmen - Mizuho!"
The kunoichi in white quickly emerged and glared at the mutt.
"Then, because I have a Six Warmen Monster on the field, I can Special Summon Grandmaster of the Six Warmen from my hand!"
Quickly, the old grizzled master emerged (6/ATK: 2100/DEF: 800) and joined the two samurai.
"But he's not alone. Since I have two Six Samurai cards on my field, I can also Special Summon their general!" The gang leader laughed. Suddenly, the ground shook as everyone saw a menacing figure in between Kageki and Mizuho.
"Your existence is but a fleeting dream to my conquest!"
Rex quickly felt an intense pressure as the figure revealed himself. Standing before the mutt and alongside his fellow samurai was a man in crimson red samurai armor. The kabuto helmet was conical in shape, the crest having a flaming pattern, matching the logo that was on the chest armor. Spikes protruded from his shoulder armor as he wore a cape on his back, wielding a sharp katana that was guaranteed to cut off the heads of his enemies.
"Take to the battleground, Daishōgun Shien (7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2400)!"
"Woah…" Jun muttered in fear.
"But that's not all! I Overlay both Kageki and Mizuho!" Wally laughed as the astral vortex emerged once again. The two and samurais turned into energy and were sucked into the cosmic vortex.
"Black armored mercenary, awaken your blade and cut through everything in your path!"
Suddenly, the vortex exploded then subsided as a knight clad in black with a large sword with a glowing edge in one hand, a large energy shield on his right, and a gun draped over his body. Like the other Xyz samurai, two balls of light orbited around the new monster.
"Xyz Summon! Go Rank 3, Missing X-Saber Invoker (3/ATK: 1600/DEF: 500/OU: 2)!"
"Great, things went from bad to worse." Jun grumbled.
"So, Nick? What are you going to do now?" The gang leader questioned Rex as he stood there, scared once again while the samurai master, black knight, and matchless shogun all stared him down like specters of death that pray for bloodshed…